A Moment to Appreciate

This evening I went for a walk in my neighborhood. The air was crisp and fresh, the sky clear and you could smell the scent of fall infusing the air.

In that moment, appreciating the most simple, yet taken for granted beauties of life, I felt so much joy and appreciation. I thought about my life, the family and friends I have that make my every day so full of color and love. My job and the team, that despite the disagreements here and there, come together like a wolf pack that look out for one another.

I thought about the man in my life who is so special, makes me laugh endlessly and shows me through action and a tremendous amount of affection how much he adores and cares about me. I thought about the community of strangers, and online friends, some who live on the other side of this world, who read my articles and give me such kind words of encouragement and support. I was never born a writer, I was encouraged by my grade five teacher who believed in me which was my first brush with exploring art with words. And throughout the last few years, without the positive reinforcement during those moments of insecurity before I click "publish," I would have never been a published writer nor dared reach for the goals that I have.

I thought about how, myself upon so many who live in North America, have won what my friend coins, the "birth lottery." Born into a world where we have choices, freedoms and lives that are not destined but created.

It's moments like these that bring me back to perspective. The things that really matter, the trivial and petty things that don't, and the amount of time and energy I've lost focusing on the latter. One of my favorite quotes from Mitch Albom's book, "Tuesdays with Morrie" is when he discusses what makes for a meaningful life, and how so many go around "... chasing the wrong things." It's so easy to get caught up in the materialism, the rat race, keeping up with the Joneses and even behavior that ultimately hurts your spirit and soul because you're too busy acting.

It's these moments that remind me that all you know for sure in life is the moment right in front of you. So use that moment to love, to give, to express, to let the ones that are close to your heart know of all the nice, positive things that you're waiting for another day to disclose. Tell someone you care about, how much you really do. Tell a family member something you're grateful for, perhaps a life lesson or a moment growing up that impacted your life. Tell a stranger a compliment. See the potential in someone that you normally cannot stand. Feel the love and share it.

Or simply, take the time to stop for a moment. Take a deep breath, look into the sky, and say "thanks." For your life, for the lovely people in it, and the fact that we have clean air, a coffee shop a stone's throw away and those simple, every day things that make our lives a little easier and pleasant each day. The things and people we take for granted.

Well, I finished my walk and I'm still feeling the affects of my moment of pause, and I wanted to share it with you. Thank you, for listening, for reading; I would not be writing this if it wasn't for you.

Amy Chan is the Director of Marketing at Kiwi Collection, the world's largest curator of luxury hotels. She is also a newspaper columnist, and blogger, to read more of her work visit www.amyfabulous.com